Frankfurt is home to Germany's central bank and the European Central Bank. Many of Germany's top companies are based there. But, as 400,000 commuters a day will tell you, it is not exactly Europe's best place to live.
Now Deutsche Bank is setting out to change that. It has drawn up the blueprint for a 6.5 billion deutschmark scheme to revitalise a derelict site between the railway station and Frankfurt's huge fair complex in an attempt to make the city a place to live as well as work.
The scheme, drawn up by the architect Mr Helmut Jahn, who designed Frankfurt's trademark Messeturm, includes proposals for flats, offices, cinemas, a theatre, cabaret, museum and hotel, a 20,000-seat indoor arena, underground station plus a huge park. And with an eye to Germany's bid to capture soccer's world cup competition in 2006, the Deutsche Bank plan includes a 50,000-seat stadium with retractable roof. The plan, the biggest single redevelopment project Frankfurt has seen, will need the city council's blessing and probably some of its cash, too. Although Deutsche is prepared to put up some of the money, Mr Breuer is looking for a public/private partnership.
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